I really like Advanced Concepts, but can't afford the Power of Tug right now. I've got my eye on it.

There are a lot of things that can cause bite inhibition. I've not seen home manners to keep a pup from biting cause any problems on the field.
A good dogs bite can be ruined with improper training. A less then good dog can be destroyed with improper training. Again, manners at home shouldn't be a problem with bite work.

If the pup is teething then bite work should stop.

You also need to learn how to counter with the tug when she's finished teething.
With the dog applying pressure, you hold it still. She should try and get a better grip. When she readjusts her grip then you reward he by winning the tug.
Without seeing or knowing the dog it's hard to say if your creating the shallow grip or it's the genetics of the dog.

samantha , i think it has been said already , but i'd be laying off the tug work while the teething is going on . substitute food chasing games for the the tug work / game .

henry is just getting past teething now , so i've been playing around with different articles to find out what he's willing / wanting to play with at this stage . the other day i just dumped out all the toys he has played with in the past so he could decide for himself what he wanted .

not surprisingly , he selected a stuffed cat that has a bit of substance to it . the other articles don't have a lot of " give " to them , so i guess his teeth are still a bit sensitive . he does have a braided fleece tug , as well as a ring wrapped in sheep fleece , and various rags but he grips all of those with just his front teeth .

i have a fire hose tug which he likes . as i said , i'm assuming his teeth are still a bit sensitive , but he really wants to grip this tug , which he will take further back in his jaws than any other item i've ever offered him before . he'll play it with enthusiasm , but just lacks the clamping power that he shows on other articles .

today , i built him a new toy , which is a solid length of bamboo wrapped in fleecy fabric . so far , he has shown good enthusiasm , and is gripping it back in the molars .

We've definitely stopped playing tug for now. Have for about the last week I think. I got the rubber puppy tug in the mail and played with her a bit on it, but that was maybe 5 minutes. The rest of that play was fetching and learning to bring something new (besides a ball) to me for a liver treat in exchange.

I suppose time will tell. I found another tooth on her bedding this morning.

Sam;

You may be able to fix the bite by changing to a tug that she feels more comfortable with. If the problem is genetics, you may not be able to change it. If the issue is drive, you have all the tools to fix it.

One other thing that comes up repeatedly in the material I've been finding is handler interaction as a possibility, and understanding how you fit into the picture. Experiment with her a little to make sure that you are not inadvertently putting any personal pressure on her that might produce some inhibition about biting, or otherwise affect her confidence. You might try keeping your head pulled back away from her or diverting your eyes when you give the bite. Don't lean over her. These are methods that Marvin has been coaching me on in my helper training, and seeing it in articles by protection trainers kinda reinforces that for me.

That makes sense, Duane. I'm going to videotape myself playing tug with her and see what's going on with errors I might be making.

She's having a tough time of teething. She's even slowed down with her kibble because chewing is painful. I hope this passes soon.

If she's having trouble eating you sure shouldn't be doing any bite work with her. That can mess up ANY bite work with a lot of dogs.

... This is the THIRD time I'm going to say this - we are not doing any tugging right now!

Tugging? Maybe you should stop tugging for a while, if she's teething.